401. Settling in & starting Spanish classes | My Relocation Diaries

Hey, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me again for my Relocation Diaries. Today. I just want to give you a quick update about life, about where we're at in our relocation journey, and maybe some philosophical questions that I currently ask myself about how to balance between being in my routine and also being out of my routine, or how to balance between the two. So I'm recording this at the beginning of May, which means that we have been here for four months, four full months, which feels like a lot, but also really, like, not enough to say, okay, we feel settled in, or we feel comfortable in our new place, but at the same time, it's been four months. And it's the first time that I can tell you that I feel like we have settled in and we have started creating a home for us. And I know, I know that some of you might tell me, some of you who have immigrated or relocated, you might tell me, oh, Hadar, you silly goose, you have no idea what's waiting for you. It takes about a year or two years, which is what people usually say about getting comfortable once you move to a new country or settling in or making a new home for yourself. But here's what I know about me and my family. We have our own rhythm, and sometimes it's like peaks. And right now, after four weeks, I have a few indications that tell me, okay, now I feel like we are starting to settle in. And it's not even about the fact that my house is a bit more organized. And it is like, we finally got our couch. So we have a couch. It took a long time to get here, and it took quite a while for it to get here. And we brought some of our paintings here. So we have paintings and photos on the walls. Of course, there is still a long way to go, but it feels like we have everything that we need. So. So, yes, that is like a physical indication, but that's not what I'm talking about. So two things that came up for me today as I was thinking about this idea of settling in. So the first is that our mornings seem to be a lot smoother. So since we got here, our mornings have become like the. A daunting period of the day. It was so hard to get them ready, to prepare food, to get them out on time. We used to have a lot of arguments and temper tantrums and tears. Not by everyone, but by some. And, you know, by the time I would put them up on the school bus, I'd be like, ah, I'm done with the day. And that's like 7:30am you know, and recently, so that that has been the case for the first three months of us living here. Then we had spring break, we had a few guests visiting Barcelona, so we had a lot of exciting things happening. And then we had our holidays, so we went back home, and now we're back into our routine. And I was really afraid that it's going to be really hard to kind of like, restart our morning routine, but actually has been, knock on wood, super smooth. And today we had, like, such a cheerful morning and my daughter was, like, making her lunchbox herself and they were getting ready on time and they were, like, happy, and I was happy and I had time to drink my coffee. So that felt so super chill. And I said to myself, okay, maybe this is how our mornings are going to look like from now on, except for occasional issues. But, like, it feels like they have accepted the fact that this is it. Like, we wake up early, we get ready, and we have to leave on time because we can't be late for the school bus. And it feels like that is just a fact and we have adapted to it. And another thing that made me feel like we have settled in was I've already talked about my morning routine or my daily routine in one of the previous episodes. But then everything got. I got thrown off with my routine, and because we had a really busy period at work, and then we had a lot of guests here, then I was traveling back home, and then I had another guest here, so I. I didn't have my usual routine. And this week I started. I went back to my regular routine, which felt really cool. And I started going out for runs in the morning. I used to do that a year ago, I think, and I really missed it. And today I went out for a run and I saw all these people, and then I saw this guy with suitcases and luggage. And it seemed like he was kind of like waiting for the bus or waiting for a cab to take him back to the airport and then maybe back home. And as I was running, I was like, hey, I'm here. It doesn't feel like vacation, but it feels different than my other life back home and I don't have to leave. Over the past few years, we would go out for a month to different places around the world, usually around Europe, and kind of like pretend like we're locals. And I remember that if I would go out for a run or workout or something or just walk around the city, I would have that dread that it's not going to last. Like, I won't be able to do it for much longer because I'm going to have to leave and go back home. And it feels different, like going out for a run in Europe versus going out for a run at a place that I grew up in and was raised in and lived most of my life in. And I always dreaded going back home. And now when I was like, jogging and I saw other people going back to the airport, I was like, ah, I don't have to go to the airport tomorrow or next week or in a month. Which felt really cool because there was like this sense of joy in it because that's it. That's my life right now. And it felt nice and good and with the easy morning that I had that together, felt, oh, okay, I can get used to it. So one more thing that is kind of new and I want to share with you is that I signed up for Spanish classes next week and the following week. So up until now, I really didn't have time to study other than on my own. And I really wanted to go to a school and study Spanish because I knew that I would have to kind of like, use it right away. And when I'm home working on my computer because I have a digital business, it feels like whenever I'm on my computer, it feels like work. And I felt like I wanted to do something else and feel the city. And this is why I didn't choose an online program to study Spanish, even though I truly believe in the effectiveness of online programs, because I have one, I have several, and I do believe you can study a language online. But for me, it felt like, okay, like, that's my opportunity to actually be in the city and do things in the city. But I haven't had any time. Like, I was so busy with work. So finally, as I'm getting back to my new routine, I'm like, I'm going to clear out my schedule over the next two, three and even four weeks and start studying Spanish daily. So I took an intensive course next week. It's like from 9:30 until 1:00pm and the following week is going to be like, maybe a little less, maybe two hours a day, but still I'm going to do it daily because on my goal list, you know, I want to. I want to be fluent in Spanish and I'm far from it right now. And I have to start doing something about it because if I want to record a podcast in Spanish, which is a goal of mine, then I got to do something about it. And I'm getting better. I have a funny story, but, like, I'm getting better at, you know, learning new words. Definitely. With understanding, I understand so much more. And. And I'm opening myself up to asking questions, even questions that I don't exactly know how to ask. Like, I'm really putting myself in certain situations that are. That I haven't before. And I'm very proud of myself for that. I'm using Google Translate less and less, especially with written communication. And sometimes it goes well, especially in restaurants. People understand everything and they think I'm fluent in Spanish and sometimes. The other day I went to my cleaner. She's such a. Like, an amazing human being. Like, she's really remarkable. Her name is Mari. And I wanted to ask something for something that was a little more complex, and I kind of, like, collected all the words in my head and I said, okay, I know how to say it. And I think it's going to be enough for her to understand me. So I go to her and I was like, hey, Mari. And I say what I want to say in this, like, complex way. And by the time I'm done, I'm like, yes, I did it. All the words were available to me, and I really expressed everything that I wanted to say. And then I looked at her and she looked at me with such a confused look. She was like, what do you want? And there I was, so proud of myself that I was able to put everything together. And then she's like, she's super intuitive. So she just repeated what she thought I had meant, and I. I think that was it. But, you know, I get an A for effort anyway, so I'm going to start learning Spanish soon, which means that I'm starting to live the life. Also, we have a big event coming up here in Barcelona for our students, so that is also something we're working towards again, like, being in the city, doing something in the city for my students, for my community. My team is going to come from all over Europe and the US for this event, which is also super, super exciting. So. So that is what's coming up for us. So, yeah. So I just wanted to share that, like, where we're at four months after the move. And I guess the second thing I wanted to discuss today, or kind of like share with you, is really my personal struggle with balancing between having a routine and then getting off that routine because of all these other things that are happening. Either a big project at work or a vacation, a holiday. Someone's visiting you, you get sick, right? Like, it feels like, in our head, or at least in my head. And I know how it is for you, and you can share that with me in the comments or on Instagram. If you don't follow me, come follow me at Hadar Accentsway. It feels like in our head, we want to be in our routine. If we like it, right? Assuming we like it, and I like my routine very much. We want to be in it, like, 95% of the time, and we're okay with 5% of changes, but in reality, it's like 50, 50, 50% you're in your routine, and then 50% you have to kind of like, maneuver, manipulate your time, change your schedule, do things that are unexpected, deal with things that are unexpected, manage other people, other things. And I am trying to find the balance between that because my routine grounds me. I feel a lot more grounded. I feel a lot more happier, like I have more space. And sometimes when I do other things, I don't want to give up on them. Let's say when our family is visiting us or good friends, that I just want to spend time with them or when we go on vacation. So it's. These are all things that I don't want to give up on. At the same time, it feels like, oh, but you can't do your routine or you can't do your thing when all of that is happening. And I realize, especially after relocating here, that I'm going to have to find a balance, especially when there are friends and family visiting, because that happens a lot, and I don't want to change that. But at the same time, I have to set boundaries for myself and to make sure that I still do the things that create space in my life, that make me happy while managing all these other unexpected things or things that are outside of my routine. And like I said, like, having people here is super joyful, and it's such a gift to have people come visit you. But at the same time, like, I want to make sure that I stay committed to the basic things, like going out for a run in the morning or writing in my journal or catching up on work and doing the things that I love and teaching while, you know, still doing all these other things that are not a part of my routine. So I'm really learning it and exploring it, and I'm trying to understand how to balance it all. And I'm sure this is relevant for you as well. But I think what I've learned or what I'm trying to learn is that it's really easy to get upset with ourselves or kind of like frustrated with the fact that things are not going the way we expected, or if we have our routine that we love and we want to stick to it and it's not possible, then we get frustrated, and then there is, like, this friction between what we want and what is happening, even if what is happening is something that we want. And this is also from conversations with my friends who live here who also try to juggle between those things, because that's how is it how it is. So I'm really trying to figure out how to manage all of this, because over the next few months, we're going to have a lot of visitors. The summer is coming. My parents are coming for the event. I have another friend from New York coming to visit me, and she's going to stay with us for a little bit. And like, I'm saying this as I'm learning how to still keep my own space and my own routine while kind of like responding or reacting to what's happening out there. So that's it. Like, I just wanted to share that this is something that I'm currently working on. In addition to learning Spanish, I'm going to give you an update about how studying Spanish is going forward me next week. And in the meantime, that's it. That's just like a quick update about life here in Barcelona after four months of living here. All right, everyone, so thank you so much for listening in for my weekly check in. And that's it. I'm gonna talk to you soon, either on my Tuesday lesson or next week in my next Relocation Diaries episode. Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon. Bye.